Guard Frequency Episode 105 | In-game Elephants

Greetings Citizens and Civilians, you’re tuned to episode 105, of Guard Frequency — the best damn space sim podcast ever! This episode was recorded on Friday 29th January 2016 and released for streaming and download on Tuesday, February 2nd 2016 at GuardFrequency.com[Download this episode]

Lennon, Tony and Geoff are back in the hanger for the fifth episode of the expanded Guard Frequency!

To kick us off, in this week’s Squawk Box we check out the latest hotness in communications. On the Flight Deck we see what news from your favourite space-sims has landed as we cover the latest news from:

and then Lennon gathers mine and Geoff’s thoughts on single vs multiplayer. This week, we strap Chiv into the Sim Pod as he reviews the original Wing Commander; and finally we tune into the Feedback Loop and let you join in on the conversation.

This Week’s Community Questions

Singleplayer or multiplayer? Can you have a living, breathing universe whilst playing solo or does it need that unpredictable human touch?

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seannewboy

Amontillado

I’d like to address the separation of the Squadron 42 and Star Citzen products. I had to ‘rewind’ and listen a few times to peg down just what was said on Episode 105.

I don’t think Geoff was saying that the original crowd funding campaign was for SQ42, but rather that it included SQ42 as a focus along with the PU. These two facets of the game were and are, equally important. If that’s the case, Geoff is correct.

Squadron 42 and the PU (along with private servers) were in there from the get go. This mega project is a successor to both Wing Commander AND Privateer/Freelancer. That’s how it was presented in the original pitch video and that’s how I have always understood it to be.

That said, Squadron 42 and Star Citizen are being built as two, full, AAA games. I don’t feel it’s cheesy in the least bit that they should be charged for as such. I’m surprised that it’s taken this long.

$45 for two AAA games of the scope and quality that they are going for is a steal. I actually backed early enough that the price was cheaper, and it included Behind Enemy Lines as well! I think we may have become too accustomed to the displays of generosity from CIG in this regard.

I applaud the move. I would like CIG to promote the sale of their game products more than the sale of virtual ships that we can all earn for free in game (not that I expect them to give up on ship sales either).

Everyone should able to understand Squadron 42 as being a separate product, and being charged for as such.

Amontillado

Yes, you can have a living, breathing universe populated by NPCs in a solo game.

Making it a multiplayer experience can both enhance and detract from the life of the setting however.

Other players can add an extra dimension to, and GREATLY enhance the reality of, the setting. A shared story or shared experience has a degree of reality that can’t be obtained by oneself. Having other players to interact with allows for social interactions between characters that establish unique relationships with a life of their own. NPCs can’t do this.

The downside is, that not all fellow players have the same notions on the life of the setting as others have. To some, it may be a video game with no reality beyond the game mechanics. Others will create their own lore and background to suit their needs, while still others will adhere strictly to the published lore.

This mishmash of preferences can really detract from the cohesive, designed setting created and realized by the professionals tasked to do so. A well implemented NPC will represent the setting as it was intended, and can offer up a more cohesive, if not more dynamic, experience.